Yep, US Vice President Kamala Harris is holding the fort on another hot topic: China. She’s in the middle of a week-long tour of the Indo-Pacific, and in a speech in Singapore yesterday, she had some strong words for Beijing. She said it “continues to coerce, to intimidate, and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea,” and that its actions “undermine the rules-based order”. Noting America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, Harris said it’s important that “as we address developments in one region, we continue to advance our interests in other regions”. China responded with its best ‘we’re not terrible you are’ saying the US was responsible for “unscrupulous and dishonest things” in Afghanistan. The US is looking to strengthen its ties with Indo-Pacific nations to counter China’s growing influence.